Photographers often use a camera support to hold a camera steady because camera movement when taking pictures can produce blurred images on the resulting photographs. Some photographers are able to keep a camera steady enough by simply hand-holding the camera. However, there are times when it is especially difficult to hold a camera steady, such as when the photograph requires a long exposure time or the camera is particularly bulky.
One common type of camera support is a tripod. A typical tripod includes a trio of support legs that serve to support a camera mounting assembly. Most camera mounting assemblies include a threaded shaft that mates with a fitting on a camera when the camera is mounted on the tripod. The threaded shaft on the camera mounting assembly and the fitting on the camera are usually formed at a standardized size to promote interchangeability between cameras and tripods.
There are some drawbacks with conventional tripods even though most tripods function well as a camera support. One of drawbacks with many tripods is that they are often large and bulky making them cumbersome to use in many situations.
In addition, smaller cameras have become increasingly popular such that there is an increased need for smaller and more portable camera supports. As examples, backpackers, climbers and travelers are among the types of photographers that typically have strict space and weight limitations.
Several types of portable camera supports have been developed in recent years. Some portable camera supports attach to a support object by using one or more clamps, straps, screws, bolts, magnets and/or adhesives.
One example type of portable camera support includes a C-clamp that has been modified to include a camera mounting assembly. Some of these C-clamp type camera supports also include a pair of short tripod legs that extend out of the body of the C-clamp.
Although portable camera supports are an improvement over full-sized tripods for some applications, many portable camera supports lack versatility and utility. As an example, many C-clamp type of portable camera supports have relatively small jaws such that they are not well suited for use with potential support objects which have diameters that are wider than the jaws of the C-clamp. In addition, it often takes a long time to adequately position the jaws of the C-clamp. Therefore, a potentially valuable picture may be missed while trying to adequately position the C-clamp.
Some portable camera supports includes brackets that are attached to a support object using a flexible binding means (e.g., a strapping material). The strapping materials are often used in conjunction with buckles, slides and or turnbuckles on the bracket depending on the type of portable camera support.
Even though the combination of a bracket and a binding means in many portable camera supports is able to adequately attach a camera to a support object (e.g., a tree or posts), many of these types of portable camera supports suffer from various drawbacks. One drawback is that many of the clamps, screws and bolts are used to permanently or semi-permanently attach the camera support to the support object. Therefore, it often takes a long time to secure (and unsecure) the portable camera support from the support object. Another drawback is that many portable camera supports are limited in size and shape such that they are not well suited for use with different types of support objects.
There are also limitations associated with using a strapping material to attach the portable camera support and/or the camera to a support object. One of these limitations is that a strapping material has a finite length so that the strapping material may not be long enough for some applications and too long for other applications. Another limitation relates to the need to maneuver the strapping material through a buckle, slide, clasp or some other article because significant manipulation is often required in order to adequately attach a camera support to a support object. In addition, the strapping material often becomes knotted as it is manipulated to attach (or remove) the camera from the support object.